WHEN she inherited a border-cross dog called Hobie, 24-year-old Alton veterinary nurse Sophie Kelly drew up a bucket list for her beloved pet and top of the list was to win first prize in a dog show.

And on Sunday, July 30, 16-year-old Hobie was named “best in show” at the Oakhanger Dog and Flower Show.

The Herald is fulfilling Ms Kelly’s second wish - for Hobie to appear in a newspaper – and Hobie has just completed the third item on the list – a professional photoshoot. The fourth wish is to visit a different country, but this might not be too hard to achieve.

Ms Kelly, who lives in Alton, said: “Sam, my partner, and I were thinking of taking him to Wales.”

The couple live in Alton but when Ms Kelly first met Hobie she was living with her family in Kingsley and decided to do voluntary work for the Cinnamon Trust – a charity that helps elderly and terminally ill people and their pets – to help towards getting her veterinary-nursing degree.

“I knew this elderly man, called Victor Dowdeswell, in Beech Road, Headley, in fact it was the road I was born in,” she said.

“I offered to walk Hobie for him for two weeks and ended up walking him three times a week for three years.

“He was a lovely man and used to get worried that I had run off with Hobie if I wasn’t back in time. He broke his hip and Hobie lay beside him all night until the morning, and when the carers knocked on the door Hobie just kept barking and they knew something was wrong. When they opened the door the dog led them to his owner, who was in pain.”

Four years ago Mr Dowdeswell died, aged 95, and in his will he bequeathed Hobie to Ms Kelly who was delighted “because I had always wanted to own him”.

“Although he is a bit arthritic and can’t walk far, he was able to strut his stuff around the dog-show ring,” she added.

As a reward Hobie got his favourite supper - turkey.

“Although we are vegetarians, we like to cook it for him,” said Ms Kelly.

Ms Kelly also has two horses, two budgies, a rat and a rabbit, but they stay behind when she goes to work at Vets For Pets with Hobie and her mother’s two terrier dogs.

“The day after the show Hobie was proudly displaying his rosette and we are so proud of him,” she said.